93. Oh Baby!

Michael

I heard Juliet that first time she came to Rodrigo. When she was out cold, he talked to me. Knowing I could listen to him. She was about two months pregnant with Chris’s baby.

I heard her again talking with him. She was three months pregnant. Only six more, and she will be a mother again.

I had been in that hole… not far from her for months… She was depressed because she couldn’t find me. She wasn’t sleeping. He didn’t want to tell her that I was being hidden away in the freezer. It wasn’t really a freezer. A hidden room that no one wanted to open. If they did, they wouldn’t have seen me anyway. It felt like I was losing my mind. I tried to call out to her. I wanted to tell her that I was so close to her.

Rodrigo had told me everything that had happened upstairs. If I could just get out of there. I could just be with her. I really didn’t know what they were planning with me. Or why he wasn’t telling her where I was.

To me, it sounded like she was starting to trust him. Maybe he was just angry that I had locked him up all those weeks to get him to tell me how to help Juliet. I was still drugged and still gagged. Tied up… My body was failing.

That first day she was there, the room next to mine’s light went on. She had even asked him who he had in there. It was the room where they got information from anyone less than willing. The blood in there wasn’t mine. They were searching for Samuel. Rodrigo and Qadir… why would he team up with him? He hated Qadir. But if my capture would lead to his death. That was almost the only thing I could think of. That Rodrigo was playing for the long haul. Playing Qadir.

I heard the screaming and then the silence. The man never said a word. Samuel wasn’t coming for me. He was hiding. I would be bait… she would have to choose. It didn’t matter who it was. Juliet would do it. She was going to, and I had no way of stopping it. Was that a good enough test?

She was pregnant again. She would never do that to the baby. That meant she was going to have to play for time. It meant that I would be caged up for a very long time.

Being human… I didn’t have two hundred years of conditioning. I didn’t have the strength. A sick sense of dread filled me. Lying there on the ground was maybe the safer option versus going through what Marcus had… so many times.

***

Juliet

I went to Rodrigo. Again, I felt terrific. Every time, he would take away some hurt I had. That day I complained about my depression. It was getting out of hand. My thoughts darkening, spiraling out of control. He pumped me full of stuff and told me to go and kill a human. That I should remember the first time, I drank someone’s blood. How good it felt.

***

“Hey, Julie. How are you feeling.” My mom asked as I walked into the TV room.

“Great… I feel terrific. Getting out of the house seemed to help a bit. Not getting whipped for walking around without a veil… is still weird, though.”

I wasn’t going to tell her that I drove an hour north and killed someone. I wondered if Jessy would blab. I did take him with me, for the baby and all. What would happen to our human relationships if they knew we still killed people some of the time. Or needed human blood to cure depression.

“I know. A lot of women are still fighting it. When I go out, I’m the only one walking around without a man.”

We didn’t know what would happen. My mom seemed to have the same concerns as me. That everything was just too good to be true. Marcus did one thing. But so much still had to happen.

“Is Louis not back yet? Was today not the day?”

“No… Come watch the news with us.”

The news was the most exciting thing every night. We would gather around the TV to see what the world was coming to. What Louis was doing. Where he was… But that night, he didn’t feature.

Alien creatures were being farmed with the help of watchers and humans working together. The first time we ate was the second day after Marcus had left. Since that day, regular supplies had come in for relief. Watchers weren’t classified as human soldiers because they could fly. Maybe not as fast as superman or as high. But still hover a few meters above the earth. They were managed by a UN agency of all the generals working together. For military purposes alone, the tech would change the world. It was still a grey area, and other humans wanted in on the action.

Their decommissioned state had been reactivated but disconnected from their hosts. Marcus had been busy up there. Instructions were coming in regularly. The earthlings still didn’t know that earth was our prison planet. That little secret had yet to come out.

The human race didn’t really have an option of accepting us there. After the manifestation… there were the radicles that opposed it. Hated it and fought it. Riots and burning of buildings.

Watchers had become protectors of humans instead. The farms for food for the vamps and werewolves were the most important. When the first slaughter occurred, the government gave the trouble makers to the vamps.

We didn’t care, and the issues seemed to die down with every sacrifice.

Killing people had become a norm even for humans. The death sentence was a worldwide phenomenon. Whoever felt like they could cause a ruckus. Or stand up for some minority. The world had become one unified nation in the matter of one night when they locked up Qadir, and Marcus took his place and made it all possible.

***

“I’m going to bed,” I said after an hour.

“Night.” Mom and dad said at the same time.

Eyes cast down, I walked across the yard to my room.

I was opening the door. Louis’s hands slid around my waist. I hesitated and pulled away. He closed the door while I flipped on the lights. He studied me… waiting… He wasn’t going to let it go.

“No reading!”

“I won’t… but baby, that means you have to talk.”

“I went to Rodrigo. You didn’t even ask me how my back felt?”

He walked over, wanting to lift my shirt to check.

“I’ll do it,” I said in a huff. His hands dropped. I raised my shirt, exposing only my back quickly.

“W…ow… You really can take care of yourself.”

“Yeah, sure…”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re irritated… and I can’t read you. How will we get over this.”

A heavy sigh escaped me… “I’m sorry, I don’t like being alone, Louis… I haven’t seen you in a month. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

I walked to Marcus’s adjoining room door and opened it. I checked that everything was fixed and that the room was clean. The last of the fittings were done that day. I wanted to make sure it was done correctly.

That whole day Marcus was on my mind. I was still thinking he would just be able to commute from another planet to earth every day. Why hadn’t he come home yet? He sent messages and orders to the gaurds… But to me… Not even a note. He did one big thing and then ignored me… His love for me was frustrating at best.

It still felt a little iffy in our rooms because of Damian. I didn’t know how to get over it. Louis wasn’t in my mind to help me.

I remembered he was actually at home... I took a peek at him. He had followed me into Marcus’s room. It was his first time seeing it. Louis’s eyes drifted from Marcus’s bed to mine. He scratched the side of his face like he was taking it in. Louis walked to the bed, gazing in on the tub, circling through the bathroom to my room. With wide eyes, he said, “Marcus likes to watch.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

“Maybe why Damian did it. It’s all Marcus’s fault.” Louis frowned regarding me. I lifted my shoulders quickly. “Don’t mind me. I’m in my depression stage.”

“You’re a smart girl, baby.”

He was prodding me to figure it out on my own. With all the antidepressants that day, I did actually feel a little better. But I was nowhere near being friendly with Louis just because he walked through the door.

Wanting him off my back, I said, “Okay fine… Do you like to watch?”

Louis was being patient and not pushing me. I took his hand and led him to Marcus’s bed. “You can’t get up. You have to have Marcus’s….”

“Fortitude.” He suggested.

“You can tell me later what he has...” I said, walking away from Louis.

I pulled my shirt over my head and undid my bra, chucking them into the laundry bin, running my hands through my hair. Getting undressed made me disappear from Louis’s sight from time to time. I was just going on with my regular routine. I was just going to do it naked. He didn’t say anything.

I was standing just a little in the doorway of both rooms. I let my pants and panties drop, walking over the bridge towards my bed. I sat down on the edge, picking up the book Louis had brought with him. I felt immediately guilty. Shocked at the title, my eyes darted playfully up at him. It was the first penetration into my defenses. A raunchy romance novel… something I would like. He really did think about me.

“Thank You,” I said softly.

I scooted back against the pillows and the headboard, glancing over the book to see what he was doing. He had pushed himself back against the cushions, arms behind his head. I pulled my knees up so that all of me was exposed. Spreading my thighs. I kept reading, playing with my hair. I got lost in my book for a while.

When I was tired of just reading… about romance. I put it down on the bedside table. I walked over to the little bridge, stopping. Going down on my haunches to check on the fish and feed them.

They were pretty, fat, and ate well. I enjoyed hearing the lapping water next to the bed. It soothed me as I slept. I wondered how Marcus even knew I would like… all of it. Katty was mesmerized by them. We played for a bit. When she was done and made herself comfortable on my bed, I turned to him. Just making sure he didn’t fall asleep from boredom. Louis’s face was expressionless.

I didn’t cross Marcus’s room’s threshold. I kept to my side. Having Louis watch me when I got in the tub felt good. I felt safe. The lights would not be going out again. The door was open… and… the man on the bed was waiting… Waiting for me… To give permission.

I turned on the water and let it run over me. I felt like standing and letting it wash off everything bothering me... But the tub filled up anyway. Resigned… I floated again. Relaxing. My gaze darting to the room every now and again. Breathing out the fear. I was pushing myself to get Damian out of my system.

The thought that went into our rooms was a little… obsessive… I chuckled, thinking about what Marcus had planned for me… for us.

I peeked at Louis. He was lying on his side facing me. One arm bent under his head. I knew if I just said one word, he would come in there. It took me a minute of staring at him, sitting down with my arms resting on the tub’s rim. I wasn’t so angry anymore. Louis really didn’t have a choice to leave me. But I missed him. I was lonely.

“Any proof in the theory yet?”

Louis threw his legs off the bed. He let his elbows rest on his knees for a second. Face in his hands. Sometimes I wished I had his ability. He sat up, unbuttoning his shirt. Eyes penetrating mine… He dropped his pants and underwear.

He came closer and got in with me, grabbing the nape of my neck. His head tilted… his lips already parted for mine. Louis’s eyes closed. My legs slid in next to his waist as he pulled me onto him. Louis had never been that drunk with lust. We were both breathing heavily a moment later. We were kissing until Louis drove deep inside me, lifting me up and down on him in the tub.

I did ask for it… didn’t I.

My arms were around his neck. He was being rougher than usual. Grabbing my hair and exposing whatever part he was hungry for. For the first time, he just couldn’t get enough of me. Not asking anymore, it seemed.

His arms wrapped around me as I took over. I wasn’t going to let him get off without me. He complained and moaned as I pushed him back. I was so close anyway… that whole display had done more for me than it did for him. Having the time to get comfortable. Being in control again.

Chest pressed against each other, he gripped my shoulders, pushing me down on him. I shuddered on top of him as we came together at the same moment for the first time. His voice was low in my ear as his orgasm stretched longer than usual.

His lips found mine. Slowly he stood up with me in his arms, carrying me to Marcus’s bed. Softly laying me down… Not stopping. I laughed lightly. Enjoying a new side of Louis… but he didn’t care and kissed me so hard until I was quiet.

***

When my eyes opened. I was very glad Louis wasn’t going to read my thoughts. Regardless of the rough sex, I had slept well. All the bad feelings of Damian were slowly being replaced with whatever happened last night. With Soren and getting attention. It was helping me forget for a few moments at a time.

“You have to take him off today.”

“No! After last night, I’m going to start punishing him myself. His other arm needs to break and bend around so that it can never grow back properly… He took something… from what Marcus meant for this place. We all have such good intentions towards you, baby. And everybody wants to ruin it.”

I pulled a face without him seeing. Feeling guilty that he didn’t know I was pregnant. If Chris was there. He wouldn’t let anyone touch me. Let alone Louis… like last night. How would I cope with it being that rough and pregnant?

“If you say so, boss.”

Louis was groggy and sleepy and didn’t say anything else. There was a knock at the door. Louis made a lot of frustrated noises and dug in his head underneath the pillow. I turned on my side. “You don’t have to do it, you know… You could give the talisman to someone else. My dad?”

With flinty eyes, he jumped up, walking to the cupboard around the corner. He was dressed and in and out of the bathroom in record time. I sat in the bed covered with the sheet. Louis was being cute, kinda funny. He didn’t want to give it up. The power… While he was fixing his hair, he narrowed his eyes at me again, making me laugh. “When can I read you again? I miss being in you…”

I snorted again. Like last night he wasn’t deep enough? But I wasn’t going to complain. If I wasn’t pregnant, it would’ve just been sexy. “You’ll just have to fill the void some other way.” He peered around the wall at me.

“So? Is Marcus on to something. You won’t get bored of it.”

He walked over to me and pulled off the covers. His eyes ran up and down my body. “I can safely say that I would never get tired of your body.”

Another knock at the door. He leaned down. “Those dark nipples and perky breasts.” He stared at them a while. I thought he might guess, but nothing. They were already sensitive and felt a bit bigger. “Can I kiss you goodbye today?” He begged.

“If you do it properly. No pecking. I’m not a chicken.” He regarded me for a second and crept onto the bed, pushing me onto my back. Hovering over me, he stared at my lips. And that’s all he did.

He jumped up and walked to the door, running when he saw the pillow in my hand. It went flying into the koi pond. “S-! I jumped up, running over and getting it out. Louis was laughing, walking down the corridor.

If all my life could be like that… I thought to myself… Maybe not... everything.

***

Louis

Juliet and I had one amazing night…. It took her a whole hour to decompress. Walking around naked… I had to grab the sheets so many times to keep myself in place. Most of the time, chastising myself for leaving my nine-teen-year-old wife to fend for herself.

Thinking about it during the day… I had to force myself to focus. But that had been weeks ago. I couldn’t even stay with her for one day. I missed her. Just me and her… That time was crucial for us, and I wasn’t there. We wouldn’t have many opportunities where it would be just her and me.

Juliet not wanting me to read her was a red flag… But I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I did go home for short periods. Sometimes she was receptive, sometimes not.

Jessy just told me that Marcus had ordered to bring more prisoners to earth. With every transport of vampires to En-gannim, they would send the same amount of prisoners to us. It meant a crapload of paperwork. More overnights in Washington.

I remembered how angry she was when Marcus left that first night. She was already upset about the month I was gone. It was only going to get worse.

***

The first load of prisoners that came was just women. Although the soldiers on En-gannim weren’t allowed to get married, the many men serving Marcus wanted change in the law that men in the army could not get married. But selling all these women at an auction was also not going to work. What would we do… organize a mixer? Create a dating app. I chuckled.

“Where are we going?” A young brunette asked. She seemed young, but you could never tell. Kubra and I were escorting the ladies to the compound. The office at the main gate had a transport station that could handle at least thirty people. The one in the embassy at Washington could handle up to fifty. Carl was on the other side. Directing the amounts of ladies coming through.

“Why does no one want to answer me?” She was a little spitfire and reminded me of my wife. I was so close, and the house was just ten minutes away.

“Jessy, take them to Agatha and make sure Qadir’s offspring is on the first shipment out of her house so we can start eliminating threats.” He nodded.

The door was blocked by a man. If you could call him that. He was tall and well built with massively broad shoulders. He and an older man came into the office. Jessy groaned under his breath. Reading both the men’s minds, it was messy.

The giant in front of me was Lucius. When he saw me and the pendant, his eyes scanned me from my leather boots to my dress jacket over jeans. He was disappointed that I was Juliet’s other half. He felt that Marcus and I were waisted on her. I had to agree with him on that. At that moment, I wasn’t much of a husband.

Unfortunately, his mind wandered to the auction night and all he wanted to do to her. Planned for her life… Juliet in that red dress.

I walked down the few steps of the office. I turned to Jessy. “Get him out of here. Right now.”

Lucius wanted to say something. Jessy pulled a gun on the man. He quieted down. “What about my wives?”

“They opted for staying. Rather than going with you. What happens on earth stays on earth.” Jessy commented. The two men had a history.

I didn’t even think twice. “I’ll see you in half an hour, Jessy. I’ll be with Juliet.” I saluted Lucius with my middle finger.